Homicides No. 106-108: Three Men Slain in Cars By Gunmen in Two Separate Attacks

Three men died in two separate shootings Tuesday morning less than two miles apart in north St. Louis city.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police called to the first shooting around 12:40 a.m. found the body of Keith Thomas, 52, of the 1400 block of East Adelaide Avenue, in the front passenger seat of a car in the 4500 block of Alice Avenue.

Thomas had been shot in the chest, flank, leg and head, and police pronounced him dead on the scene.

A 28-year-old woman in the car with Thomas was shot in the leg. She told police she and Thomas were sitting in the car when two black men shot at them and then ran away on foot.

The female victim was taken to a hospital, where her condition is listed as stable.

A few hours later, just before 9 a.m., police found two men in a BMW dead with gunshot wounds to the head in O'Fallon Park, just northeast of where Thomas was killed. The owner of the car had reported it stolen in Bridgeton on September 15.

Police identified the men as Justin Houston, 23, of the 1000 block of Garth Avenue, and Morrion Lee, 24, of the 8300 block of Halls Ferry Road.

A witness told police that a woman in a black coat left the scene and fled west towards West Florissant Avenue before police arrived.

According to police reports, the BMW had struck a light pole and stopped in the grass east of the road before the shooting.

There have been 108 homicides in St. Louis city in 2014, compared to 88 homicides at this time in 2013. In total, there were 120 homicides in 2013, a number St. Louis is likely to exceed before the close of this bloody year.

Officers responded to the above location for a call for "shots fired" and upon arrival,
located Victim #1 seated in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, unconscious. Victim #1 had sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the flank, chest, leg and head and was
pronounced deceased on the scene. Victim #2 was located suffering from a gunshot
wound to the leg and was conveyed to a hospital and listed as stable. Victim #2 stated she and Victim #1 were sitting inside a vehicle when two suspects approached them, fired shots at them, then fled the scene on foot. The investigation is ongoing.

Incident: Homicide

Location: O'Fallon Park

Date/Time: 10/14/14 @ 08:57

Victim #1: Unidentified black male

Victim #2: Unidentified black male

Suspect(s): Unknown

Officers responded to a call for a "shooting" and upon arrival, located a vehicle, a BMW, that had struck a light standard and had come to rest in the grass east of the roadway. Victim #1 and Victim #2 were both seated inside the vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and were unconscious. Both victims were pronounced deceased on the scene. A witness reported observing a black female wearing a black coat leave the scene and flee west towards W. Florissant. Investigation revealed the vehicle containing the victims was reported stolen from Bridgeton, MO on 9/15/14. The victims are not yet identified. The investigation is ongoing.